Oh the joy of finding small treasures on our morning walks, these could be a peacock feather, a raw mango which had been the victim of heavy winds severing it from the tree or even beautiful jasmine flowers with the pleasant aroma in the air or sighting of a bird hatching its eggs. You must be wondering, which resort provides these on a platter, where you can plan your next outing, well the answer is, this heavenly abode is Mhow, where we the blessed ones get to spend some precious time. For us, this opportunity is all the more special, as soon it will be time to bid adieu and move to the hustle and bustle of Indore. Although Mhow is just about 30 kms from Indore where we intend to move shortly but these two towns are as different as chalk and cheese, one is a budding metro with aspiring gentry, the youth raring to go, the other is a retired person’s (like me) haven, where time stands still. The morning evening walks, watching sunrise and sunset from your own dwelling, the multiple hues and colours of dusk, the chirping of birds in the garden, the squirrels and butterflies keeping us company and with no honking horns or blaring music, pollution free breeze, this place is pure bliss. How I wish we could continue to stay here, but life’s compulsions force us to move on, at least for now.
These walks are very fruitful as I invariably end up picking up some fruits which have fallen down by the roadside. These days it is mango season and naturally I find plenty of them, which in normal course would just rot away, as surprise of surprises, firstly there aren’t very many people enjoying the salubrious environs out for these walks and secondly even those who are out don’t bother to bend down for such lowly activities. I for one, have no such qualms, in fact I rather enjoy it, as it reminds me of my childhood, when my younger sibling Sujay and self would pick these raw mangoes on our way back after morning Tennis in the local club in Dhar. The lip smacking raw mango chutney was a delicacy which my mother would serve us during the lunch, if we hadn’t already partaken them straight. These pickings were not restricted to mangoes, but even Amlas (Indian Gooseberry), jamun, guavas or tamarind all was fair game. The activity was taken to a different level in our residential school, where it was not just pickings, it was well planned and executed raids, where gardens of master’s houses were targeted and some of us armed with pillow cases to store the loot used to go on this early morning adventure. Invariably we would end up picking these fruits rather raw, but that didn’t matter, the thrill of quietly sneaking in, climbing the trees, collecting the fruits and then making a quiet undetected get away required military precision. This was sort of baptism for our later years when we would indulge in the same activities as a profession, no not the stealing but the raids and ambushes as military tactics.
Some of you may know a certain author by the name of KP Saxena, a renowned Hindi humorist, famous as the dialogue writer of film “Lagaan”. He was a regular contributor to children’s Hindi magazine,”Parag”, which we subscribed and really enjoyed reading. One of the stories in that related to a seventy-two year old grand pa who would spoil his grand kids and have fun behaving just about their age, aptly titled,”Bahattar Sal ka Bachha”. I am not there yet, but sure enough we all are heading in that direction at breakneck speed. Almost six decades gone in the blink of an eye literally, but the child within is still live and kicking which still indulges in these occasional mischiefs because “Dil to bachha hai ji..”
Incidentally this morning the treasure trove was almost a kg and a half worth of mangoes, which shall be savoured immediately after I finish this piece, so long..
17 thoughts on “Dil to Bachha Hai Ji”
Amazing as always Suyash!
My memories of Mhow , its pristine air, the lovely gardens, the cleanliness of the Cantt, the hustle and bustle of the market and of course the occasional walks in the country side , all got triggered on reading this article. During a recent visit to Mhow, I did relive some of those moments with my friends who were with me.
Stirred many fragments of memory away from cache!! Emote on this perspective fully. Live every moment, savor the past….great read
Kya baat hai , aapne to dil ke tar cheddar diye, Mhow aur bachpan…inaki masumiyat…kahin nahi milegi..hat off to your writing
Ma’am,
You must come down to Mhow along with Reddy Sir to relive those days again. Monsoons is the best time to be here.
Fully agree. Mhow has a plethora of good memories associated with it.
Good reminisces Suyash!
Lovely childhood memories!
Loved the “Dil to bachha hai Ji* Wouldnt mind doing that again…well written. Enjoyed reading it.
Mhow will remain nostalgic..yes nature’s lil gifts are the BEST
Come over Vishy while we are here, we can relive those memories
It took me down the memory lane and started recollecting moments we enjoyed during morning walks . Although we use to do lot many mischievous activities like knock doors of friends very early in the morning , picking up mangoes from restricted government farms .Great, work not only on litrature part but recollecting all childhood activities.
True Sujay, those were the days!
Thanks for reviving golden memories of Childhood and the beauty of Mhow. Enjoyed the piece.
Come over Rajeev, Mhow beckons
Great narration
So nice and easy to vibe with this absolutely relatable piece.
Happy memories gush by!
Dil bacha rahe tho aap jawan rehte ho…
Brought in good old childhood memories…